Orange is The Happiest Colour

I remember being 10 years old and going to drama club dressed head to toe in orange. I had bright orange leggings and a glowing orange t-shirt. I felt so me! As an adult I'm reclaiming my love of orange and decided to make me and B a matching outfit.

My dress is inspired by Slovak kroj (traditional folk costumes) and English Smocks. The linen is gathered into the neck with the Smock stitches and includes an underarm gusset. This style of cut is called Pannonian. Can you believe that this dress is just made up of 4 rectangles? Plus a long strip for the belt. That's why I love folk dressmaking; it uses every inch of the fabric, is simple to make, and so flattering because the gathers create full and flowing shapes. Here's a smocking close-up...

The underarm gusset is added for freedom of movement...

I wanted to make dungarees with growing room in them for B. The tie detail on the straps mean that they can easily be extended. I appliquéd a mushroom on to the front pocket for extra happiness.

I love working with linen because you can easily work in straight lines because of the weave of the fabric.

Any other questions about my folk sewing techniques or anything else? Comment below